7

16. Yet that ancient division of tongues is also praiseworthy (when those who were of one voice wickedly and godlessly built the tower, just as some dare to do now); for the discordance of language, dissolving their harmony of purpose, brought the undertaking to an end; but more praiseworthy is the one now miraculously wrought. For proceeding from one Spirit and poured out on many, it is again brought together into a single harmony. And there is a diversity of gifts, needing another gift for the discernment of the better, since all are praiseworthy. And that one could be called good of which David says: ‘Swallow them up, O Lord, and divide their 36.452 tongues.’ Why? ‘Because they loved all words of swallowing up, a deceitful tongue’; all but openly accusing the tongues here, which sever the Godhead. So much then for these matters.

17. But since the tongues spoke to the most devout Jews dwelling in Jerusalem, Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, Egyptians, and Libyans, Cretans and Arabs, Mesopotamians and my own Cappadocians, and to the Jews from every nation under heaven (if anyone likes to understand it so), gathered there, it is worth seeing who these were, and from what captivity. For the one into Egypt and Babylon was both limited, and long since ended by the return. But the one under the Romans had not yet happened, but was about to, being the retribution for their audacity against the Savior. It remains, then, to suppose this to be the one under Antiochus, not much older than these times. But if anyone does not accept this explanation, as being too labored (for the captivity was neither ancient, nor scattered over much of the world), and seeks a more plausible one, it is perhaps better to suppose that when the nation had often been moved, by many captors, as is related in Ezra, some of the tribes were restored, but others were left behind; of whom it is likely that, having been scattered among many nations, some were then present, and partook of the miracle.

18. And these things have been examined beforehand by the studious, perhaps not unnecessarily. And whatever else anyone may contribute to the present day, he will have contributed this for us also. But for us, the gathering must now be dismissed (for the discourse is sufficient), but the festival never. But we must keep festival, now bodily, and a little later wholly spiritually; where we shall know the reasons for these things more purely and clearly, in the Word Himself, and God, and our Lord Jesus Christ, the true festival and exultation of the saved; with whom be glory and honor to the Father, with the Holy Spirit, now and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

7

Ι ςʹ. Πλὴν ἐπαινετὴ μὲν καὶ ἡ παλαιὰ διαίρεσις τῶν φωνῶν (ἡνίκα τὸν πύργον ᾠκοδόμουν οἱ κακῶς καὶ ἀθέως ὁμοφωνοῦντες, ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν νῦν τολμῶσί τινες)· τῇ γὰρ τῆς φωνῆς διαστάσει συνδιαλυθὲν τὸ ὁμόγνωμον, τὴν ἐγχείρησιν ἔλυσεν· ἀξιεπαινετωτέρα δὲ ἡ νῦν θαυματουργουμένη. Ἀπὸ γὰρ ἑνὸς Πνεύματος εἰς πολλοὺς χυθεῖσα, εἰς μίαν ἁρμονίαν πάλιν συνάγεται. Καὶ ἔστι διαφορὰ χαρισμάτων, ἄλλου δεομένη χαρίσματος, πρὸς διάκρισιν τοῦ βελτίονος· ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαι τὸ ἐπαινετὸν ἔχουσι. Καλὴ δ' ἂν κἀκείνη λέγοιτο περὶ ἧς ∆αβὶδ λέγει· Καταπόντισον, Κύριε, καὶ καταδίελε τὰς 36.452 γλώσσας αὐτῶν. ∆ιατί; Ὅτι ἠγάπησαν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα καταποντισμοῦ γλῶσσαν δολίαν· μόνον οὐχὶ φανερῶς τὰς ἐνταῦθα γλώσσας καταιτιώμενος, αἳ θεότητα τέμνουσιν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον.

ΙΖʹ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἱερουσαλὴμ εὐλαβεστάτοις Ἰουδαίοις, Πάρθοις, καὶ Μήδοις, καὶ Ἐλαμίταις, Αἰγυπτίοις, καὶ Λίβυσι, Κρησί τε καὶ Ἄραψι, Μεσοποταμίταις τε καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς Καππαδόκαις, ἐλάλουν αἱ γλῶσσαι, καὶ τοῖς ἐκ παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν Ἰουδαίοις (εἴ τῳ φίλον οὕτω νοεῖν), ἐκεῖσε συνειλεγμένοις, ἄξιον ἰδεῖν, τίνες ἦσαν οὗτοι, καὶ τῆς ποίας αἰχμαλωσίας. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ Βαβυλῶνα περίγραπτός τε ἦν, καὶ πάλαι τῇ ἐπανόδῳ λέλυτο. Ἡ δὲ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων οὔπω γεγένητο, ἔμελλε δὲ, εἴσπραξις οὖσα τῆς κατὰ τοῦ Σωτῆρος θρασύτητος. Λείπεται δὴ τὴν ὑπ' Ἀντιόχου ταύτην ὑπολαμβάνειν, οὐ πολὺ τούτων οὖσαν τῶν καιρῶν πρεσβυτέραν. Εἰ δέ τις ταύτην μὲν οὐ προσίεται τὴν ἐξήγησιν, ὡς περιεργοτέραν (οὔτε γὰρ παλαιὰν εἶναι τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν, οὔτ' ἐπὶ πολὺ τῆς οἰκουμένης χεθεῖσαν), ζητεῖ δὲ τὴν πιθανωτέραν, ἐκεῖνο ἴσως ὑπολαβεῖν ἄμεινον, ὅτι πολλάκις, καὶ ὑπὸ πλειόνων, τοῦ ἔθνους μεταναστάντος, ὡς τῷ Ἔσδρᾳ ἱστόρηται, αἱ μὲν τῶν φυλῶν ἀνεσώθησαν, αἱ δὲ ὑπελείφθησαν· ὧν εἰκὸς διασπαρεισῶν εἰς ἔθνη πλείονα, τηνικαῦτα παρεῖναί τινας, καὶ μετέχειν τοῦ θαύματος.

ΙΗʹ. Καὶ ταῦτα προεξήτασται τοῖς φιλομαθέσιν, ἴσως οὐ περιέργως. Καὶ ὅτι ἂν ἄλλο συνεισφέρῃ τις εἰς τὴν παροῦσαν ἡμέραν, καὶ ἡμῖν τοῦτο ἔσται συνειλοχώς. Ἡμῖν δὲ τὸν μὲν σύλλογον ἤδη διαλυτέον (ἱκανὸς γὰρ ὁ λόγος), τὴν δὲ πανήγυριν οὐδέποτε. Ἀλλ' ἑορταστέον, νῦν μὲν καὶ σωματικῶς, μικρὸν δὲ ὕστερον ὅλον πνευματικῶς· ἔνθα καὶ τοὺς λόγους τούτων εἰσόμεθα καθαρώτερον καὶ σαφέστερον, ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Λόγῳ, καὶ Θεῷ, καὶ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, τῇ ἀληθινῇ τῶν σωζομένων ἑορτῇ, καὶ ἀγαλλιάσει· μεθ' οὗ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ σέβας τῷ Πατρὶ, σὺν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.